One Word
by HiddenKindness
Summary: An ever-growing selection of short oneshots sparked from one word prompts. Rated T for safety.
1. Hair

Welcome to my collection of writing prompts. The majority of these will originate from words given to me by my blog's followers on Tumblr (foreverkonoha is my url on there, by the way). These aren't my best work because of the fact that not much time was spent on each one. However, I hope they are remotely acceptable. If you'd like to submit a prompt, I'd really love to have a go at writing a short piece for it. Either message me through my blog or leave it in a review. Thank you! -Léa

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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><p><em><strong>Prompt: Hair.<strong>_

He was just sat on a bench.

He was just sat on a bench with his head bowed.

He was just sat on a bench with his head bowed and his hands tearing at his hair.

That wonderful hair. A golden yellow as untamed as his personality. Spikes stuck out at odd angles, the colour so eye-catching whatever room he was in seemed visibly brighter. Tonight though, its shine seemed dull somehow. His hair appeared slightly ruffled from his clammy hands constantly combing though it as he sat, making it look more wild than usual.

His face was hidden from her, but his quiet, uncontrolled sobs rang out through the silence of the night.

In the harsh orange-tinted light given off by the streetlamp next to the bench, she saw that his was torn in places and in others it was matted with a mixture of mud and blood.

He seemed unresponsive to her presence. Either in his grief he hadn't noticed he or considering the circumstances just didn't want to acknowledge her being there. He wouldn't have lived this long if it was the former, and she stood in the shadows a mere five metres from the bench. She knew he'd want to be alone right now, but she hoped he'd at least be a little comforted by the fact she was there.

The pain he felt was understandable, of course. He'd experienced death before. Hell, the average life expectancy for a person of the shinobi lifestyle was just twenty. He'd seen time and time again the eyes when glazed over on a dead body. The colour leaving the skin as they bled. To Naruto and any ninja in the world, death was the norm, not that that made it any easier to overcome and move on from.

He'd seen so many people die now. Friends, those he saw as family, enemies, even those who he saw die by his own hand.

He was just a shell now. There was only so much death one could see in their lifetime.

He found himself asking the question no ninja ever should.

Was it worth it?


	2. Kunai Knife

My second prompt. More difficult to write than the first, and half way through I had to have dinner so I lost my track of thought. Gah. D:

**Disclaimer: I don't nor ever will own Naruto.**

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><p><strong><em>Prompt: Kunai knife. <em>**

Why is it that something so simple can be so dangerous?

A common item present in the pouches of tens of thousands of people around the world. Such a small little thing that brings so much grief. Children in the academy start to use kunai knives from a very young age, taught how to hold it and throw it. …How to kill people with it.

Such a perfect weapon. When cared for and sharpened, it can slit the throat of a person with ease, whether it be the throat of an ally or an enemy; the knife doesn't make the choice.

A weapon, it is said, is only as powerful as the person who wields it. This seemingly ordinary thing is so perfect. So smooth and the edges so sharp. However, no matter how hard you clean it, there will always be stains. They may be invisible to the eye, but every drop of blood drawn by the knife will stay on its surface forever.

Kunai knives have many uses: stabbing, throwing, trap making, throat cutting…the list goes on. These weapons bring death in unimaginable numbers, and yet it's found that death by kunai isn't a very impressive way to go. Shinobi would much rather leave the world with a bang or impressive show of strength. Kunai are used by almost all ninja; if they weren't worth using, if they weren't worth bringing death, then why use them?

Because no matter how good they are, they'll never be good enough.


	3. Bubble

Requested by my wonderful friend, Lauren. Sorry it took so long. The length of it doesn't really make it worth the wait, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

**Disclaimer: Never will own it unless Kishimoto decides to sell it to me for all I have, i.e. the lint in my pocket.**

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><p><strong><em>Writing prompt: 'Bubble'.<em>**

Death does extraordinary things to the mind. When someone dies, they leave a hole that can take years to heal, if ever. People in the shinobi profession witnessed more death than other people, not that ever made it any easier for them to accept.

Ninjas are taught at a young age how to see death, how to accept death, and how to bring death. They are taught that in some circumstances, it was acceptable for killing to be for the 'good of the mission'. It was the norm to them, as if it wasn't that unusual to die a horrific death by jutsu or kunai knife. Hell, some ninjas ensured that his death was to be seen as a great work of art.

Sasuke had seen a lot of death, even more than some shinobi did in their lifetimes. His older brother had slaughtered his entire clan, killing all the family he'd ever had. He'd seen the corpses of his family members, his parents, and felt the warmth of their blood on his fingers as their bodies lay slumped at his feet.

The more death you see, it's as if the life within yourself is being dragged away. You no longer feel alive. You become a shell of your former self; a bubble forms around your body and you're trapped from the rest of the world. You don't feel the warmth of the sun on your skin or the feel of the wind in your hair.

Sasuke had distanced himself from others. He'd hidden inside his bubble. Afraid of learning to love someone again at the risk of losing them and causing all the buried pain to resurface.

There were moments, before he left Konoha that came close to breaking through his bubble. Early on, like when he'd protected Naruto from Haku's attack, or later during the chunnin exam…long sunny days where team seven had met up just for the fun of it and sat in the woods, Kakashi reading Icha Icha, Naruto scoffing all the food, Sakura scolding him for doing so and Sasuke looking on with a soft, honest smile.

Then he left.

Then, the bubble returned.


	4. Thud

Requested by James. We were just sat in the study room at school and I asked for a random word. He doesn't watch the series, so won't understand this, but I hope he still finds this acceptable. I hope you do as well. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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><p><strong><em>Prompt: Thud.<em>**

The noise of a corpse is something to behold. When the body is laying there, on the cold hard ground, it is of course silent. However, when a person falls dead, there is a thud. A horrible, squelching thud that is difficult, it impossible, to forget.

Sasuke was known across the world as a hardened criminal. Thousands wanted his head on a pike for his crimes, despite him being only seventeen. Sasuke had killed many people, but all his life he had lived by the rule that he only killed if absolutely necessary, never just because he could.

That didn't get him any more respect from others though. Either be a good person and never kill anyone, or become a mass murderer killing anyone who crosses your path; there was no middle ground. Sasuke had followed his personal rule of only killing when necessary all his life. It'd started that day. The day that changed the path of his life forever.

He was late from the academy that day. He was running through the streets of the Uchiha compound. It was then he began to see the bodies. More and more as he got closer to his house. The bodies of his family and clan members. Tears prickled in his eyes and adrenaline coursed through his veins as he ran as fast as he could to his house.

He couldn't remember how he found the strength to open the heavy doors to the room with his shaking hands, only that the overwhelming metallic smell coming from behind the door drove him on. It was then he locked eyes with Itachi. Blood red locked with black. He saw the shapes of what he knew were the bodies of his parents in the darkness, and he couldn't understand it. His brother loved his parents.

Itachi could never do it…he could never…

He made the mistake of looking into his brother's eyes again just as they began to spin.

The he heard the noises. Horrific images began to fill the young boy's mind. The sounds of bloodcurdling screams, the countless people falling to the ground, the slicing motion of the blade across their throats…and then the thud. The thud of when a body hits the ground.


	5. Chicken

This one was requested by Brandon. Sorry it's so late. Hope you like it. :) - Léa

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><p><strong><em>Writing Prompt: Chicken<em>_._**

"Come on, moron!" Kiba shouted from a few trees ahead, Akamaru in tow. Naruto breathed heavily, beads of swear running down his face as he struggled to keep up. This race between them was petty as best, Naruto knew, but when Kiba had insulted him and then gave he word to take back the comment if Naruto could beat him to the regular place, Naruto refused to back down. He wasn't a loser, and he would prove it.

"Just you wait, Dogface!" He shouted as he jumped through the dense canopy of branches. "I'm just getting warmed up!"

They'd been at it for what seemed like a lifetime already, the summer sun making the backs of their necks prickle with sweat.

Kiba chucked to himself before turning to his companion with his usual toothy grin. "That idiot hasn't got what it takes to be a genin. He's too much of a failure, eh Akamaru?" The small dog gave a yap of agreement as they both jumped through the forest.

Naruto had overheard the insult and gritted his teeth tightly, swiping his brow under his goggles with the back of his sleeve. He was definitely going to pass his academy exam in a few days. Third time lucky, right? Soon enough he'd be wearing his Leaf headband proudly. He needed to prove that he was good enough, prove it to himself and everyone else. He would start by winning this race. He clenched his fists, the muscles in his legs burning with the strain, and forced his body to go faster.

His body listened to him, pulling the strength from deep within him and before he could register it he powered past his rival and his dog, who was surprised to say the least. Naruto didn't look back, only straight ahead, to his goal, and he soon reached the clearing that was designated the finish line. He wanted to collapse on the ground – to sleep for a week – but he had something to do first.

A few moments later, Kiba and Akamaru reached the clearing, both boy and his dog panting for breath.

"Take it back, Dogface." Naruto ordered triumphantly.

Kiba grumbled, crossed his arms reluctantly, and just when it looked like he may say it, a sly grin spread across his features. "I will. If you do one more thing..."

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><p>The waterfall was their next destination. The noise of the water rushing over the cliff made it almost impossible to hear what Kiba was trying to say. Realising Naruto was struggling to hear him, Kiba grabbed a nearby branch and proceeded to throw it in the flow of the water. After a few seconds of floating calmly, it reached the edge and fell out of sight. Both boys could hear nothing except the constant white noise of the water. A few more moments had passed before Kiba gestured for Naruto to look over the edge of the cliff. Naruto did just that, and saw the branch (or the <em>remains<em> of the branch) floating away from the torrent of water downriver, in several pieces. Naruto swallowed. He looked back at Kiba, whose sly expression hadn't changed. Kiba then mouthed one word even Naruto could understand.

_Jump._

Naruto just stared at him, waiting for the punchline that never came. Kiba actually wanted Naruto to jump. He wasn't scared, he told himself. He was never scared. Naruto didn't move. Jumping over the cliff was suicide_. Kiba knew that, right?_ Kiba only laughed, the sound of which was still blocked out by the sound of the flowing water.

In an attempt to provoke him, Kiba bent his arms at his sides, flapping them to imitate a chicken. Naruto only grumbled, and, again determined to prove his rival wrong, he turned to face the waterfall. With another swallow, he walked cautiously toward the edge, the toes of his sandals dislodging a few rocks, which then tumbled from the cliff and fell into the water out of sight.

Naruto glanced back at Kiba, who seemed to sense his hesitation. _Do it._ Kiba mouthed. Naruto took in a deep breath, held it, and jumped.

Falling.

Hitting the water.

Cold.

Being flipped and tossed under the water by the torrents.

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><p>"You were lucky you jumped far enough away from the rocks," Kiba said with a grin, his voice now audible now that they were further away from the crashing water. "Otherwise you would probably be dead. You're smarter than you look."<p>

"I-I'm n-no chicken, t-though." Naruto said, his teeth chattering from the cold. Kiba offered him a hand to help him stand from his crouched position on the riverbank.

"You're right," Kiba smiled, Akamaru shuffling a bit on his perch of Kiba's head. "Ok. I admit it. You're not a chicken," Kiba said. "You're just an idiot."


	6. Shisui

Requested by Anonymous.  
>I, as always, do not own nor claim any othership of Masashi Kishimoto's <em>Naruto<em>.

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><p><em><strong>Prompt: Shisui.<strong>_

"Come on Itachi! Is that all you've got?" Shisui shouted from his position in the trees.

Itachi gritted his teeth, and began making a long series of seals for one of his powerful fire techniques.

The was the usual way the two young men passed the time - training together to test their strength. Itachi was determined to prove himself to his fellow clan member turned-best-friend, as Shisui was the young genius of the Uchiha.

Itachi by that time had shown a great amount of promise himself, but growing in the shadow of Shisui had always meant getting noticed was a lot more challenging. He wanted to test himself, to prove to himself and to his clan that he was more powerful (if not moreso) than Shisui.

The pair would fight in the training grounds on a daily basis unless either of them were away from the village on a mission. The challenges between them would range from strictly taijutsu to full sharingan-enhanced power.

Today's challenge was no different, as the familiar noise of endless explosions sounded from Training Ground Three meant that the villagers and even other shinobi would avoid the area due to the Uchiha battles becoming more and more destructive.

Every day the boys grew closer, a bond forming between them of mutual respect for each other's strength. When the fights first began Shisui had laughed off Itachi's challenge, and had then underestimated him. Now, he was losing fights as often as he was winning. He saw Itachi now like a brother, and it was then that that particular mission was assigned.

The higher-ups in the clan had been suspicious of Itachi for a while, thinking that he was feeding information of the Uchiha's plans to the village council and Hokage. Shisui's mission was simple: to tail Itachi at all times and report back on his actions.

It was a short time later that he was ordered to take it a step futher.

He was ordered to eliminate Itachi.

He was expected to follow these orders without question - to break his bond of friendship with Itachi cleanly and swiftly and do what was believed best for the clan. Shisui guessed the mission was a test for him, to see if he could turn against a comrade if the mission required it. It was a test to see if he was deserving to be the Uchiha prodigy.

It was then he chose to shut off all emotion. He didn't want to be human anymore if that meant betraying what he held dear. He no longer felt happiness or relief. Within him, there was no fear. No hate. He didn't see himself as a true person anymore. Just a shell. He couldn't face what he had to do.

The next day, Itachi and him met up for training as normal, though upon Shishui's suggestion chose a new place to train a little further away from the village. Shisui began putting lethal intent behind his moves. Deep inside, he was breaking.

He wasn't Shisui anymore. He was a tool, a weapon to be used by his clan.

It was the first time Itachi had to fight for his life. He too was breaking inside when he had to fight against his best friend. He won only because they had fallen into the raging river and Shisui had been a poor swimmer. It was the first time his clan's true evil was revealed to him. Sadly, it wasn't the last time.

Soon, Itachi too would be used as a tool for the clan.


	7. Kankuro

A short one here, the prompt was requested by a friend on Tumblr.  
>Kishimoto's <em>Naruto<em> isn't mine.

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><p><strong><em>Prompt: Kankuro.<em>**

Kankuro's earliest memories were of him looking in the mirror applying his signature purple face paint. He couldn't recall the exact time he'd started doing it, only that he had done it from a very young age.

Kankuro was always overlooked as a child - the attention mostly being on Gaara, for obvious reasons, and also his sister Temari for her born talent for powerful wind techniques. Kankuro was seen as normal. A ninja, yes, of noble blood, but at the time there was nothing that set him apart - nothing that got him noticed.

He had been interested in puppets and puppetry for a long time as well, and it was one day when he was repainting one of his favourites that a thought struck him. He painted his puppets in bright colours to intimidate his enemies, why not paint himself?

Now, when he walked down the street, people took a second glance when they saw him. The bold lines painted across his face meant he no longer appeared normal, and that's exactly what he wanted.

By that point, Kankuro had begun to be noticed in other areas, such as his growing talent in fighting with his many puppets. That wasn't a rare talent to find, though, as there were many who used similar techniques, so he had told himself he'd always paint his face. Without the paint, he was just seen by his enemies as any other puppet master. Kankuro grew up wanting to be noticed, and he did.

With his talent, and the talent of his brother and sister, there were together known as The Sand Siblings, and Kankuro's name is known throughout the country and perhaps the rest of the world for his skills in puppetry.

It's amazing what a bit of paint can do.


	8. Short Skirts

One of my absolute favourite oneshots I've written using a prompt. I initially couldn't think of anything, but eventually this developed. Enjoy!  
>Me no own Naruto, so no sue, kay? ;)<p>

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><p><strong><em>Prompt: Short Skirts.<br>_**

It was a hot summer day. One of the hottest, in fact, and the legendary pervert was doing what he usually did on hot summer days: being a legendary pervert.

Jiraiya was sat in a high branch of a tree nearby the public baths. Usually he'd be closer to the baths, or at least the section the women used, but Tsunade had somehow found his usual hiding spots and told the bath owners to be on the lookout for him. The damn woman even managed to cover the hole in the fence surrounding the women's side, much to Jiraiya's disappointment.

However, all was not lost.

For today was a hot summer day.

And on hot summer days, women wore short skirts.

The hot weather also attracted a greater number of women to come out in the open to use the public baths. Like a lion stalking his prey, Jiraiya smiled slyly and waited.

_Perfect_, he thought, as two girls linked arm in arm made their way beneath the tree towards the building holding the baths. Sure enough, their skirts allowed Jiraiya to look up and down their long legs appreciatively.

_Oh, and it just got better._ The blonde one had an impressive chest on her. His perch on the tree branch gave him the perfect opportunity to look down her cleavage as well. Shame the pink haired one didn't have the same assets on her chest. No matter. The large amount of creamy thigh revealed from her skirt was more than enough.

…_Wait. Pink hair? Could that be Tsunade's apprentice?_

Despite her having a smaller than average pair of boobs, she looked positively divine, as did her friend. He choked on his own breath, making a noise that resembled a strangled cough. Today's young women were some of the best he'd seen.

Unfortunately, the noise Jiraiya had just made had revealed his position. More importantly, it'd revealed his position to Tsunade's apprentice herself.

The last thought that went through Jiraiya's mind was that she was indeed the apprentice of Tsunade. He could tell from her right hook.


	9. Konan

Another extremely short one. Hope it's alright! - Léa

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><p><strong><em>Prompt: Konan.<em>**

Konan could remember the exact day she changed as a person. The day that changed her from a weak bystander to an impressive fighter. It was mid-way through summer, but as always, it was raining heavily. Jiraiya had returned to Konoha just a few weeks earlier, and her, Nagato and Yahiko had been left to fend for themselves.

The three children had spent the day hunting for food, but the bad weather had made tracking impossible. They'd given up and when to return to their camp, and it was then that it happened. An ambush of rogue nin.

It all happened so quickly - Nagato and Yahiko were both unconscious in seconds. She couldn't pause to consider what had happened at the time, though now she looked back, she guessed it was a form of genjutsu that had defeated her boys. She had only escaped it out of sheer luck.

It was at that moment everything changed. She looked down at Yahiko and Nagato, laying unresponsive in the mud, and something deep within her snapped. She would never find out what it was, whether it be a hidden power or even just the primal instinct to survive and protect her friends.

Before Konan could even think over her actions, the three rogue nin were face down in the mud, their throats slashed with what appeared to be seemingly endless papercuts. The blood pumping from the corpses mixed with the falling rain, the ground around her becoming a massive puddle of crimson.

She fell to her knees, the shock of the situation sapping the strength from her small form. The origami flower fell from her head into the mud, the white paper petals turning a light shade of red from the blood.

It was then she realised who she was.  
>She was the guardian.<br>The guardian of the bridges to peace.


	10. Lollipop

A little more lighthearted than the rest. Enjoy! - Léa

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><p><strong><em>Prompt: Lollipop.<br>_**

"Oh, for goodness sake, Chouji. _Again?_" Ino groaned, tugging at the lollipop stuck in the mop of her teammate's hair.

Chouji only grinned sheepishly in return, then winced at the sharp pain of Ino pulling at his hair.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru commented from his perch in the nearby tree, offering his opinion on the matter but not offering to help.

"So what was it _this_ time?" Ino asked, a stern tone to her voice.

Chouji swallowed. He couldn't say that he'd fallen asleep when he was eating one the night before, allowing it to become severely tangled in his hair. Not only would he lose all respect he'd gained with his teammates, but more importantly they'd never let him have another lollipop again.

"Well…" He began, intending to make it an impressive story as possible. "I was helping this lady with her shopping, and-"

"Let me guess, a pig flew over and dropped it into your hair? Your excuses are worse than Kakashi's." Ino said. Chouji was beginning to think she sounded like his mother more and more every day.

Before Chouji could reply, Ino continued.

"Dammit," She said with another pull on his hair. "It won't budge. We'll have to cut it out."

Chouji swallowed, but before he could protest Ino had grabbed a kunai from her hip pouch and had cut away a considerable chunk from his head. Chouji watched in horror as seemingly endless strands of hair fell onto the floor. He didn't want to even begin to imagine his new bald patch.

"Now don't do it _again_." Ino said with an annoyed look. "I won't help you next time."

"I wouldn't let you near my hair again anyway." Chouji mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that." Ino said before turning to walk away.

Stupid sharp Yamanaka hearing.


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